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| George W Redneck Sheep Fucker | |||
| {{Infobox President | |||
| | name=George W. Bush | |||
| | image=George-W-Bush.jpeg | |||
| | order=43rd ] | |||
| | term_start=] ] | |||
| | vicepresident=] | |||
| | predecessor=] | |||
| | successor=incumbent | |||
| | birth_date=] ] | |||
| | birth_place=] | |||
| | party=] | |||
| | spouse=] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''George Walker Bush''' (born ], ]) is the 43rd and current ] of the ]. Prior to his political career, he was an ] in the ] and served as the managing general partner of the ] ] team. | |||
| Bush, a ], was elected 46th ] in ] and was re-elected in ]. From there, he moved on to win the nomination of the Republican Party for the ] and ultimately defeated ] ] ] in a particularly close and controversial general election where he lost the ] but won the ]. In ], Bush was ], defeating Democratic ] ]. This term expires ], ]. | |||
| Bush is a member of a prominent ]: his father, ], served as U.S. President for four years and as Vice President for eight, his brother ] is the current ], and his grandfather, ], was a Republican ] from Connecticut. Among his family, he acquired the ] W (for his middle initial; later Dubya, a literal spelling of a colloquial pronunciation of the letter), which has become a common public nickname, used both affectionately and pejoratively. | |||
| ==Bush before presidency== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|Early life of George W. Bush|Professional life of George W. Bush}} | |||
| The eldest son of former President ] and his wife ] (] Pierce), George Walker Bush was born in ], ]. He moved to ] with his family at the age of two and he identifies himself as a native Texan. He was raised in ], ] and ], ] with his siblings ], ], ], and ]. Another younger sister, ], died in ] at age three from ]. | |||
| Following family tradition, he attended prep school in New England, at ] in ], ]. Bush then enrolled at ], where he received a ] degree in ] in ]. As a senior, Bush was a member of the secretive ] society. In May 1968, at the height of the ], he entered the ]. He trained in the guard for two years, where he learned to fly. Bush was promoted to ] in November ] on the recommendation of his commander ] ]. He served as an ] pilot until ]. | |||
| ].]] | |||
| In ], he obtained permission to end his six-year service obligation six months early in order to attend ], from which he earned his ] (MBA) in ]; he is the first U.S. President to hold an MBA. After graduation, Bush returned to Texas to enter the oil business. Two years later, he married ], a school ] originally from ]. They have twin daughters, ], born in ]. Bush is the only U.S. President to be the father of twins. | |||
| Early in his professional life, Bush ran, or was a partner in, a number of oil companies, including ], ], and the ] Corporation. After working on his father's successful ], Bush purchased a share in the ] ] franchise, in April ], where he became managing general partner. | |||
| Bush started his political career assisting his father's ] and ] campaigns for the U.S Senate, neither of which were successful. He then served as political director for an ] senate campaign. In ], Bush ran unsuccessfully for the ]. | |||
| On ], ], Bush defeated popular incumbent ] to become ]. That same year, he and his partners sold the ] with the governor realizing a profit of nearly $15 million. | |||
| ==Religious beliefs and practices== | |||
| A 1985 meeting with ] ] ultimately led Bush to give up ] and devote himself to a more serious practice of ]. During this period, he left the Bush family's ] faith to join his wife's ], a denomination that in part represents a more socially conservative ] (see ]). Bush is generally recognized as a ]. | |||
| Bush attends services at (Episcopal) on a semi-regular basis. This is apparently a matter of convenience for chief executives, as the church is situated immediately across from the White House, off Lafayette square. Every president since Madison has attended services there. | |||
| In the televised Republican presidential debate held in ] on December 13, 1999, all of the participating candidates were asked: ''“What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why?”'' Unlike the other candidates, who cited former presidents and other political figures, Bush responded "], because he changed my heart." His decision to name a religious figure generated some criticism - even among religious conservatives such as ] and ]. | |||
| During his Presidency, Bush has also hosted celebrations for non-Christian holidays such as Ramadan. | |||
| ==Presidential campaigns== | |||
| ===2000 campaign=== | |||
| {{seemain|U.S. presidential election, 2000}} | |||
| Before Bush had even committed to the race, he was the clear favorite in the polls. Bush declared himself a "]", a term coined by ] professor ], and his ] promised to "restore honor and dignity to the White House." Bush proposed lowering taxes in response to a projected surplus, supported participation of ] ] in federally funded programs, and promoted ], ] in the ], a balanced ], and structural changes to the ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| Bush lost the ] to ] ] of ], but rebounded to capture 9 of 13 ] states, effectively clinching the nomination. Bush then chose ], a former ] and ] for Bush's father, as his ]. On ], ], television networks called the close race first for his opponent, ] ], then for Bush, and finally declared that it was too close to call. Gore conceded the election and then rescinded that concession less than one hour later. Though Bush had 47.9% of the ] and Gore had 48.4%, the ] were less clear. The ] vote count, which favored Bush in preliminary tallies, was contested over allegations of irregularities in the voting and tabulation processes. Allegations included confusing ballots, defective voting machines, faulty ]s from the military, and the illegal barring of some voters. Because of Florida state law, a statewide machine recount was triggered and completed. Although it narrowed the gap, the recount still left Bush in the lead. Eventually four counties in Florida which had large numbers of Presidential undervotes began a manual hand recount of ballots. A legal battle ensued between the Bush and Gore campaigns over these recounts. On ], the Florida Supreme Court ruled that every county with a large number of undervotes would perform a hand recount. On ], in the '']'' Supreme Court case, the Court stopped the statewide hand recount and upheld the machine recount due to time constraints. The machine recount showed that Bush had won the Florida vote, giving him 271 ] to Gore's 266; Bush carried 30 of the 50 states. Several months later, a group of newspapers commissioned a study of what would have happened had the hand recount continued. The researchers conducting the study concluded that, under the standard for assessing ballots in use during the actual count, Bush still would have won. However, other reasonable counting methods would have given the victory to Bush in four cases and Gore in four others . Since the Supreme Court did not allow the recount to continue, no one knows what standard might have been prescribed by it, or by a lower court at its direction, had the recount been reinstated. In the final official count, Bush had won Florida by only 537 votes (2,912,790 for Bush to 2,912,253 for Gore) , earning the needed 25 electoral votes and the presidency. Bush was inaugurated ], ]. | |||
| Not since the ] had a winner failed to receive a plurality of the ]. It was the first since the ] in which the ] affected the decision. | |||
| ====Controversies about George W. Bush==== | |||
| =====Substance abuse controversy===== | |||
| {{main|George W. Bush substance abuse controversy}} | |||
| On ], ], near his family's summer home in ], police arrested Bush for ] of ]. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150, and had his ] suspended for 30 days within ] . | |||
| News of the arrest was published five days before the 2000 presidential election. Bush has described his days before his religious conversion in his 40s as his "nomadic" period of "irresponsible youth" and admitted to drinking "too much" in those years. He says he changed to a sober lifestyle shortly after waking up with a ] after his 40th birthday celebration. He attributed the change partly to a ] meeting with the ] ], though by his own admission, he did still drink as recently as July 1986 . | |||
| Bush has stated he did not use illegal drugs at any time since 1979. An aide clarified this as being 1974.. | |||
| =====Military service controversy===== | |||
| {{main|George W. Bush military service controversy}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Bush's military service record has been a point of controversy, especially during the ]. Though no official copies of his records have been found, his critics have alleged that he skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, was absent from duty from ] to ], and was suspended from flying after missing a required physical examination and ]. These specific issues came to light during the 2004 presidential campaign as a result of endeavors by the group ]. Bush supporters claim that the surviving documentary evidence regarding Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, including pay records and the official honorable discharge papers, indicate that Bush served honorably. Bush opponents contend that many of the official records can no longer be found, and that the matter is at best ambiguous. | |||
| =====2004 campaign===== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|2004 Presidential Election}} | |||
| In the ], Bush was able to win re-election against ], the ] candidate and senator from ]. Despite the fact that Kerry was a thrice-decorated hero in the ], polls showed that Bush had convinced the people he and his administration would be better able to protect the nation from another terrorist attack. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 ] votes. The highest voter turnout since 1968 gave him more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate (62,040,610 votes/50.7%). This was the first time since 1988 that a President received a popular majority. However, Bush's victory margin, in terms of absolute number of popular votes, was the smallest of any sitting president since Harry S. Truman in 1948. Also, Bush's win was, percentage-wise, the closest popular margin ever for a sitting president. Senator ] carried 19 states and the ], earning him 251 Electoral College votes (59,028,111 votes/48.3%). A ], pledged to Kerry, voted for Democratic Vice Presidential running mate, ], giving him one ] vote. No other candidate won College votes. Notable third-party candidates included Independent ] (463,653 votes / 0.4%), and Libertarian ] (397,265 votes/0.3%). Congress debated potential election irregularities, including allegations of ] in ] and electronic voting machine fraud. An Official challenge to the Ohio election was rejected by a vote of 1-74 by the ] and 31-267 in the ]. | |||
| Bush was ] for his second term on ], ]. The ] was administered by ] ]. Bush's inaugural address centered mainly on a theme of spreading ] and ] around the world. | |||
| ==Important people in Bush's life and career== | |||
| {{main|Important people in the life of George W. Bush}} | |||
| Bush's family and advisors are considered important to him in his life and career. His father, ], served as U.S. President, his younger brother, ] is the current ], and his grandfather, ], was a ]. His wife ] and his mother ] are also considered important to his life. His most trusted advisors have included many women, including ], ], and ]. ] has had perhaps the greatest influence on Bush's professional life. | |||
| ==Presidency of the United States== | |||
| {{main|George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States|George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States}} | |||
| ] ], ] President George W. Bush, and ]i Prime Minister ] after reading statement to the press during the closing moments of the Red Sea Summit in ], ], on ], ]]] | |||
| ===First term=== | |||
| Bush's first 100 days were considered less ] than he pledged during the campaign. His most controversial appointment was ] as Attorney General. Democrats vigorously opposed Ashcroft for his strong, ] positions on issues like ] and ], though they eventually confirmed him. On his first day in office, Bush moved to block federal aid to foreign groups that offered counseling or any other assistance to women in obtaining abortions. Days later, he announced his commitment to channeling more federal aid to faith-based service organizations that critics feared would dissolve the traditional ]. | |||
| Republicans lost control of the ] in June, when ]'s ] quit the Republican party to become an ], but not before five Senate Democrats crossed party lines to approve Bush's $1.35 billion tax cut. Less than three months later, however, the administration released budget projections that showed the projected ] decreasing to nothing over the next years. | |||
| ===Political ideology=== | |||
| {{Infobox presidentstyles| | |||
| president=President George W. Bush| | |||
| image=]| | |||
| dipstyle=President| | |||
| offstyle=Mr President| | |||
| altstyle=Excellency (old, rarely used except in diplomacy)| | |||
| }} | |||
| During the 2000 election campaign Bush started to use the phrase ] to describe his beliefs. Some conservatives have questioned Bush's commitment to traditional conservative ideals because of his willingness to incur large ]s by permitting substantial spending increases. Democrats and liberals have claimed that the prefixing of the word "conservative" with the adjective "compassionate" was less a new ideology and more a way of making conservatism seem palatable to independent and swing voters. In his ] ] he outlined his vision of ] and claimed plan for democracy promotion, . | |||
| An important element of Bush's presidency is its emphasis on the importance of executive powers and privileges. According to Bush and his supporters, the War on Terrorism requires a very strong executive with the ability to take various kinds of otherwise illegal covert actions against terrorists. For example, Bush repeatedly argued that the limits imposed by the ] over-restrict its ability to monitor terrorists electronically, and has pushed for statutory exemptions to those restrictions, including certain parts of the ]. The Bush administration threatened to veto two defense bills that included amendments by Senator ] that would limit the ability of the executive to authorize ]; Bush and his supporters argued that harsh treatment of detainees believed to be terrorists can be necessary to obtain information that would prevent terrorist attacks. Administration lawyers like ] have argued that the president has inherent authority to wage war as he sees fit, regardless of laws and treaties that may restrict that power. Bush's ] appointee, ], considers the executive's power to be quite broad as well; in his decision in '']'', he wrote that Common Article III of the ] did not apply to people detained in the War on Terrorism, thus authorizing secret military tribunals for suspected terrorists if Bush chose to use them. The administration has classified previously public information about the executive and written ]s to block ] requests and to keep old documents classified beyond their normal expiration date. Bush's critics argue that unreviewable executive power risks abuse for political purposes, undermines civil liberties, and that they are anti-democratic, immoral, and likely to cause resentment, as in the world's response to ] . Bush's supporters respond that broad powers in the War on Terrorism are necessary to prevent major attacks against the United States and that the president has not abused these powers. | |||
| ===Administration=== | |||
| {{main|George W. Bush administration}} | |||
| Bush places a high value on personal ] and, as a result, his administration has high ]. Critics allege that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes and that Bush has surrounded himself with "]". | |||
| Bush's presidency has been characterized by a vigorous defense of executive privilege. Many commentators have claimed that deference to executive privilege was one of the principal considerations Bush's administration considered when he proposed his three nominations for the Supreme Court, and appointed ] to the ]. | |||
| Bush also has performed many of his presidential duties from his ranch in ], dubbed "The Western White House". As of ], ], Bush had visited the ranch 49 times during his time as President, accruing 319 days away from the White House and nearly reaching Reagan's eight-year record of 335 days in 5.5 years. The administration has supported this trend, saying it helps the president get a different perspective from ] and that he is still working (The administration noted that Bush's longest visit to Crawford, in August 2005, included only one week of actual respite in the five-week visit.) | |||
| A list of Bush's cabinet appointees is included on the ]. | |||
| ===Foreign policy and security=== | |||
| ] during a visit to a school in ].]] | |||
| {{main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}} | |||
| During his first presidential visit to ] in June 2001, European leaders criticized Bush for his rejection of the ] to reduce ]. In 2002, Bush rejected the ] as harmful to ] in the United States, stating: "My approach recognizes that economic growth is the solution, not the problem." | |||
| The administration also disputed the scientific basis of the treaty. In November 2004, ] ratified the treaty, meeting the quota of nations required to enforce it without ratification by the United States. | |||
| International leaders also criticized Bush for withdrawing support for the ] soon after he assumed the presidency. | |||
| Bush made the following comment: "I wouldn't join the International Criminal Court. It´s a body based in Hague where unaccountable judges and prosecution can pull our troops or diplomats for trial." | |||
| Bush's ] campaign platform supported a stronger economic and political relationship with ], especially ], and reduced involvement in "]" and other minor military engagements indirectly related to U.S. interests. However, after the ], the State Department focused primarily on the ]. | |||
| ====Terrorism==== | |||
| ] in ], ] ]: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."]] | |||
| On ], ], the first foreign assault against the Continental United States since the ] was carried out by a terrorist organization known as ], which is arguably led by ] who had issued a ] against the ] in 1997. | |||
| As a result of this, on ] ], the United States, with international support, launched a war against the ] ] regime, charged with harboring bin Laden. Subsequent nation-building efforts with the ] and Afghan president ] have had mixed results; bin Laden (]) is still at large. ] were held on ], ]. Even though international observers called the elections "fairly democratic" at the "overall majority" of polling centers, 15 of the 18 presidential candidates nevertheless threatened to withdraw, alleging flawed registration and validation. | |||
| {{further|]}} | |||
| Days after taking office, Bush stated "I am going to go forward with... ] system." To accomplish this deployment, Bush announced on ], ] his desire to withdraw from the 1972 ] and deploy a missile defense system with the ability to shield against a limited attack by a ]. The ] criticized this policy change, citing doubts about the system's effectiveness. Bush argued this was justified as the treaty's ] benefits were no longer relevant. The official notification of withdrawal from the treaty was announced on ] ], citing the need to protect against ]. While there is past precedent for a President to cancel a treaty, most past cases have involved Congressional authorization. | |||
| Terrorism was Bush´s main topic at the ] in ] too, calling for restructuring the organization from Cold War and prepare it for new threats. | |||
| ====Iraq==== | |||
| Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration promoted urgent action in Iraq, stating that Iraqi President ] once again had ] (WMD), even though Hussein claimed to have destroyed all the chemical and biological weapons he had before 1991 (he used WMD on the ] in northern Iraq in 1988, when his chemical and biological weapons program was being covertly funded and supported, in part, by America and Britain) . The theory Saddam had destroyed his WMD capability was asserted by former weapons inspector Scott Ritter and the UN's former chief weapons inspector ]. Bush also said that Hussein was a threat to U.S. security, destabilized the ], inflamed the ], and financed ]. ] reports asserted that Saddam Hussein had tried to acquire ], had not properly accounted for Iraqi ] and ] material in violation of ], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions. It had been, since 1998, U.S. policy for the president to support efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power by a law (the ]) passed by the ] and the ] and later signed by ]. | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Asserting that Saddam Hussein could provide terrorists with WMD, Bush urged the ] to enforce Iraqi ] mandates, precipitating a ]. On ] ], under ], Hans Blix and ] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. Lapses in Iraqi cooperation triggered intense debate over the efficacy of inspections. UN inspection teams departed Iraq upon U.S. advisement given four days prior to full-scale hostilities. | |||
| ] ] urged his colleagues in the Bush administration to avoid a war without clear UN approval. The Bush administration initially sought a ] resolution authorizing the military force pursuant to of the ] but, facing vigorous opposition from key nations including the public threat of an embarrassing French veto, dropped the bid for UN approval and, with a few other nations designated the "]", prepared for war. | |||
| ] off the coast of ], where he delivers his controversial ] speech to declare victory and the end of major combat operations in Iraq, ], ].]] | |||
| {{further|]}} | |||
| Military hostilities commenced on ], ] to preempt Iraqi WMD deployment and remove Hussein from power. '']'' included Hussein's hindering weapons inspections, an alleged 1991 assassination attempt on Bush's father ], breach of a 1991 ], and violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. ] ] and other world leaders questioned the war's legality. Bush declared, "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended" , under a "Mission Accomplished" banner on May 1, 2003. U.S. deployment and casualties (both military and civilian) have continued through early 2006 despite the capture of Hussein, because of ongoing Iraqi ]. | |||
| December 14, 2005 Bush said: ''It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong.'' | |||
| {{further|]}} | |||
| On ] ], the U.S. ] Final Report concluded, "ISG has not found evidence that Saddam Husayn (sic) possessed WMD stocks in 2003, but the available evidence from its investigation — including detainee interviews and document exploitation — leaves open the possibility that some weapons existed in Iraq although not of a militarily significant capability." The ] report found no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, although the report did conclude that Hussein's government was actively attempting to acquire ] that would allow Iraq to produce WMD as soon as U.N. sanctions were lifted. In addition, the 9/11 commission found that despite contacts between Iraq and Al-Qaeda in 1996, "no collaborative relationship" emerged in regards to the attacks on 9/11. | |||
| However, after the invasion, al-Qaeda has used the war to great effect in its campaign. Most notably, it launched a coordinated string of attacks in Madrid (see ]). Three days later, a new Spanish government was elected which immediately withdrew from Iraq. ] also openly announced that al-Qaeda will attack any country which supports the war in Iraq. | |||
| {{further|]}} | |||
| ====Immigration==== | |||
| Bush proposed an ] bill that would have greatly expanded the use of ] ]. His proposal would match ] with ] for a period up to six years; however, workers would not be eligible for permanent residency ("green cards") or citizenship. The bill is opposed by some Democratic Senators, including ] and ]. | |||
| Bush has also publicly stated he would like to tighten security at the ]-] border, which includes speeding up the ], building more ] to hold ], and installing more equipment and immigration officers at the border. He does agree with "increasing the number of annual green cards that can lead to citizenship" but does not support giving amnesty to those who are already in the country illegally, ceding that it would only serve as incentive for increased illegal immigration. | |||
| ====HIV/AIDS==== | |||
| In the ] message in January, 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency ] relief. Bush requested $15 billion for this effort and Congress supported the president's proposal. The emergency relief effort is led by U.S. Ambassador ], the Global AIDS Coordinator at the ]. $9 billion is allocated for new programs in AIDS relief for 15 countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. Another $5 billion will go to continuing support of AIDS relief in 100 countries where the U.S. already has bilateral programs established. An additional $1 billion will go to support the ]. This budget represents more money contributed to fight AIDS globally than all other donor countries combined. | |||
| ====Trade==== | |||
| Bush's imposition of a ] and on ] softwood ] was controversial in light of his advocacy of ] ] in other areas, and attracted criticism both from his fellow ] and from nations affected. The steel tariff was later rescinded under pressure from the ]. The ] is still ongoing. | |||
| ====Development assistance==== | |||
| The U.S. State Department and ] (USAID) published a strategic plan for the 2004-2009 period. The principal aims are established in President Bush’s ''National Security Strategy'': ], development and defense. President Bush's new policy would increase assistance by 50 percent for countries that take responsibility for their own development “by ruling justly, investing wisely in their people, and encouraging economic freedom.” Development assistance must also be aligned with ] which means the USAID would support those “countries that are committed to democratic governance, open economies, and wise investment in their people’s education, health, and potential.” | |||
| ===Domestic policy=== | |||
| {{main|Domestic policy of George W. Bush}} | |||
| ====Economy==== | |||
| During his first term, Bush sought and obtained Congressional approval for three major tax cuts, and has asked congress to make the cuts permanent. Federal spending in constant dollars increased under Bush by 26% in his first 4 and a half years. The tax cuts, a recession, and increases in outlays all contributed to record budget deficits during the Bush administration. As a percentage of ], however, the deficits are lower than those experienced during the ]. | |||
| ] under Bush has remained near historic lows at about 2-3% per year. | |||
| Private employment (seasonally adjusted) originally decreased under Bush from 111,680,000 in December 2000 to 108,250,000 in mid-2003. The economy then added private jobs for 25 consecutive months from (July 2003 to August 2005), and the private employment seasonally adjusted numbers increased as of June 2005 when it reached 111,828,000. Considering population growth, that still represents a 4.6% decrease in employment since Bush took office. | |||
| In January 2006, the government reported that first-time jobless claims fell to their lowest level in more than five years to 291,000, a sign that the national labor market continues to shake off the effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. | |||
| Under Bush, the seasonally adjusted Unemployment Rate based on the Household Survey started at 4.7% in January 2001, peaked at 6.2% in June 2003, and retreated to 4.9% in August 2005. | |||
| Currently under Bush, the economy grew at a 4.3 percent pace in the third quarter of ], the best showing in more than a year. | |||
| ====Health, medicine, and Social Security==== | |||
| Bush signed the ], which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare (United States), subsidized pharmaceutical corporations, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies. Bush said the law, estimated to cost 400,000,000,000 (USD) over the first 10 years, would give the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care". Bush signed the ] in 2003, having declared his aim to "promote a culture of life". The law has not yet been enforced, having been ruled unconstitutional by three District Courts. It is pending ] review. | |||
| Bush called for major changes in ], identifying the system's projected insolvency as a priority early in his second term. President Bush emphasized his proposal for personalized accounts would allow individual workers to invest a portion of their Social Security Tax (FICA) into secured investments. The main advantage of personal accounts within Social Security is to allow workers to own the money they place into retirement that cannot be taken away by political whims. | |||
| Bush opposes any new embryonic ], and has limited federal funding for research to studies that use embryonic stem cell lines that were in existence on ], ] (the day of the announcement). There was a controversy as to implication of the restriction. Initially Bush and his supporters claimed around 70 lines existed on that day. The number of viable lines has since been determined to be around 20. Adult stem cell funding has not been restricted, and is supported by President Bush as a more viable means of research. | |||
| ====Education==== | |||
| In January of 2002, Bush signed the ], with Democratic Senator ] as chief sponsor, which aims to close the achievement gap, measures ] performance, provides options to parents with students in low-performing schools, and targets more federal funding to low-income ]. Critics say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards, although their argument is based on premise that authorization levels are spending promises instead of spending caps. | |||
| ====Energy and the environment==== | |||
| Bush's environmental record has been attacked by most ]s, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections. | |||
| Bush signed the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002, authorizing the federal government to begin cleaning up ] and contaminated sediment in the ], as well as the Brownfields Legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial or ] sites. | |||
| In December 2003, Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his ]; environmental groups have charged that the plan is simply a giveaway to ] companies. Another subject of controversy is Bush's ], which seeks to reduce ] through expansion of ]. | |||
| Partially due to gas price hikes, Bush proposed tapping the ] reserves in the ]. | |||
| Bush has opposed the ] to reduce the effect of ], saying it would harm the U.S. economy. The United States has signed the ], a pact that allows signatory countries to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions individually, but with no enforcement mechanism. | |||
| ====Science==== | |||
| On ] ], Bush signed into law H. R. 4664, far-reaching legislation to put the ] on a track to double its budget over five years and to create new ] and ] ] initiatives at both the pre-college and ] level. | |||
| On ] ], Bush announced a major re-direction for the ]. Known as the ], it calls for the completion of the ] by 2010 and the retirement of the ] while developing a new ] called the ] under the title ]. The CEV would be used to return American ] to the ] by 2018. | |||
| The White House has come under criticism for downplaying reports that link human activity and greenhouse gas emissions to climate change. | |||
| On ], ], Bush took a controversial stance favoring the teaching of ] alongside ] in science classes, saying, "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought, and I'm not suggesting — you're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes." | |||
| ====Other issues==== | |||
| Bush has signed legislation supporting faith-based initiatives, and created the ] to assist such organizations. | |||
| Bush opposes same-sex marriage but supports ]. He endorsed the ]. Bush is the first Republican President to appoint an openly ] man to his administration. | |||
| In regards to what is commonly called ], Bush does not support enforced quotas, but has asked the public and private sector to reach out to minorities. He has drawn criticism from some minority groups on his policies. In total, Bush has appointed more women and minorities to high-level positions within his administration than any other U.S. President. | |||
| Bush is a strong supporter of ]. During his tenure as Governor of Texas, 152 people were ], maintaining its record as the leading state in ]s. As President of the United States, he has continued in his support for capital punishment, including presiding over the first federal execution in decades, that of convicted terrorist ]. | |||
| The Bush administration has threatened ] of legislation on several occasions, usually resulting in a compromise report from ]; Bush has never yet vetoed a bill. | |||
| ===Public perception and assessments=== | |||
| {{main|Public perception and assessments of George W. Bush}} | |||
| Bush has drawn both popular praise and scathing criticism. His supporters believe he has done well with the ] and homeland security, and shown exemplary leadership after the ] attacks. His opponents have disagreed on those very subjects and have also criticized the passage of the ], the ], and the ]. | |||
| The magazine '']'' named Bush as its ] for 2000 and for 2004. | |||
| ], and the beginning of the ].]] | |||
| In the time of national crisis following the ], Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85%. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic, economic, and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped for many reasons. A poll by Rasmussen reports show that Bush's approval rating is at 48% as of December 29, 2005. | |||
| Along with the criticism on issues of foreign policy, President Bush has also taken criticism for his administration's response to ], which many considered slow. Bush has also been criticised for his handling of the leak of the name of ] agent ] from a source within his administration. | |||
| More recently, criticism has focused on issues of rights and freedoms, such as the ] controversy and the ] of communications without obtaining warrants from the court established to issue them. | |||
| ]''. The ''Mirror'' has carried a number of front pages hostile to G.W. Bush, as have other ]an newspapers and magazines.]] | |||
| Internationally, Bush finds more criticism than support. Polls find that majorities in most nations view Bush negatively, with a notable exception being ]. The media in these nations are often particularly hostile toward Bush, as can be seen in the ] image above. | |||
| ===Movement to impeach=== | |||
| {{main|Movement to impeach George W. Bush}} | |||
| A poll commissioned by Zogby and released in January 2006 shows that a majority of Americans (52 percent to 43 percent) believe Congress should consider impeaching the president if it is shown that he wiretapped US citizens without approval from the courts. Calls for impeachment from ] and ] members of Congress, and from ], were prominent -- and controversial -- in 2005 and early 2006. | |||
| ====Supreme Court nominations==== | |||
| Bush nominated the following individuals to sit on the ]: | |||
| *] | |||
| ** Associate Justice. Nominated ], 2005; nomination withdrawn in order to nominate him to Chief Justice on 9/5/05 | |||
| ** Chief Justice. Nominated ], 2005; confirmed by the Senate on 9/29/05 | |||
| *] — Associate Justice. Nominated ], 2005; nomination withdrawn in accordance with Miers' request on 10/27/05. | |||
| *] — Associate Justice. Nominated ], 2005; before the Senate as of ], ], with a vote scheduled for January 2006. | |||
| ===Major legislation signed=== | |||
| {{col-begin}} | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| ;2001 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: Authorization for Use of Military Force | |||
| :*]: United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| ;2002 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| {{col-end}} | |||
| {{col-begin}} | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| ;2003 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also ]) | |||
| :*]: United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act | |||
| :*]: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] (CAN-SPAM) | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| ;2004 | |||
| :*]: ] (Laci and Conner's Law) | |||
| ;2005 | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] Implementation Act | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| :*]: ] (SAFETEA) | |||
| :*]: ] | |||
| {{col-end}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| '''''See ] for more articles related to George W. Bush.''''' | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| {{anb|oil_and_baseball}} The White House (2005). . Retrieved ], 2005. ''"Owner, oil and gas business"'' ''"Partner, Texas Rangers Baseball Team"'' | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Graphs of approval ratings , | |||
| * Time-analysis of Bush's popularity . | |||
| * Collection of Bushisms | |||
| * {{nndb name | id = 360/000022294 | name = George W. Bush}} | |||
| * 2000 Florida recount information from | |||
| {{Col-2}} | |||
| {{Col-end}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Sisterlinks|George W. Bush}} | |||
| ===Official=== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ===Speeches: audio and transcripts=== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{multi-listen start}} | |||
| {{multi-listen item|filename=George W. Bush Speech - September 11, 2001.ogg|title=George W. Bush's speech on September 11, 2001 about the attacks|description=|format=]}} | |||
| {{multi-listen item|filename=George W. Bush Speech - September 12, 2001.ogg|title=George Bush's speech on September 12, 2001 about the attacks|description=|format=]}} | |||
| {{multi-listen end}} | |||
| * (], ]) | |||
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| ===Other=== | |||
| *{{imdb name|id=0124133|name=George W. Bush}} | |||
| *{{gutenberg author| id=George+W.+Bush | name=George W. Bush}} | |||
| * at ] | |||
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| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME=Bush, George Walker | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=George Bush Jr., Bush Jr. | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION=43rd President of the United States | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH=] ] | |||
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Revision as of 13:58, 20 January 2006
George W Redneck Sheep Fucker